2 more dead of West Nile in Cook, Madison Counties

Illinois health officials announced Wednesday two more deaths from encephalitis caused by the West Nile virus: an 81-year-old woman from southern Cook County and a 76-year-old-man from Madison County.

Thirteen people have died of the virus in Illinois, the most in the nation.

In addition, the number of cases has grown to 314, including a 3-month-old girl from Blue Island who was hospitalized for West Nile encephalitis, health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 46 deaths nationwide, not including the two new cases from Illinois, and more than 1,200 cases.

Kitty Loewy, spokeswoman for the Cook County Department of Public Health, said the new cases, including the infant, prove what health officials have been stressing: Although the disease appears to be more serious for older adults or people with weakened immune systems, anyone can become sick from the virus.

The majority of people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will not become sick and only one out of 150 people infected with the virus will develop encephalitis.

Tom Schafer, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said mosquito bites might become less frequent. As the days become shorter, mosquitoes begin preparing for winter and start feeding on plants, not animals and humans. Mosquitoes use blood to help in the reproductive process, but that slows down later in the season, he said.